We arrived at the Wine Garden of England Summer Celebration with one eye on the sky and, frankly, a mild sense of dread. It was absolutely tipping it down!

As it turned out, we needn’t have worried. There’s something about terrible weather that brings people together, and the atmosphere under the tents was brilliant from the start. Everyone had committed to having a good time, and they approached that in the best way: with a glass of fizz in hand.

Some new friends…

We were set up alongside the team from VIVA Cruises, who were wonderful company and threw themselves into sabrage with gusto. Among their team was Romana Echensperger MW, a Master of Wine based in Germany who works with both VIVA Cruises and Lufthansa. She was immediately captivated by sabrage, is now considering buying a sword, and let’s just say there may be some very interesting developments on the horizon for Silver Sword in Germany… 👀

…and some familiar faces

Three of our founding partners were there – Squerryes, Westwell and Yotes Court – and Dermot Sugrue made a surprise appearance, because he happened to be in Kent that weekend! We took a short break from the sabrage tent and visited Westwell’s tent to present them with their newly created Society of the Silver Sword-branded sword. And despite having just received the perfect implement to perform sabrage, Adrian took it upon himself to open a Westwell pet nat with the bottom of a wine flute. We warned him that it’s very tricky to get right. This did not deter him, though, so we offered some tips, and he pulled it off in one casual sweep! 👏

A record-breaking day in the rain

By the end of the day, we had set a new Silver Sword record, teaching sabrage to over 70 people between the two of us. Everyone we met was so enthusiastic about both English wine and the art of sabrage—exactly the kind of people we love to meet at these events. We’re already looking forward to the Wine Garden of England Summer Celebration 2027!